Tag: Health

30 Dec 2025 Friendship

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Food, Health, history, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello and good evening. It’s the end of the day as I write to you from here. Today began with a blessing of friendship. My friend Jeannie and I met for breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe here in town. We had a good visit and got caught up on family, church and world affairs. She shared a strange dream she had that I was in. I was the best part of the dream. I wasn’t much help in deciphering it!

Jeannie is one of the only people in my life that I can talk to about political matters. We both are pretty disillusioned about the cluster of a mess Trump has made! The only good thing I can see about what he’s done is people buying less cheap plastic things that end up in the landfills.

I have been recovering from a cold since before Christmas so I stayed away from everyone. My cousins wife showed her friendship and brought me chicken soup, juice and losenges and my Aunt brought some food by on Christmas Day. All I wanted to do was sleep! There has been a super flu going around and even as isolated as I am I still caught some of it! I am not feeling 100% but will stay positive! I am so blessed to have family and friends that are looking out for me.

Mark 9:23New International Version

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

16 Dec 2025 Joe The Uninvited Guest

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, drawing, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. It’s early afternoon as I write to you after my therapy session through the VA. I am blessed to have a really good therapist. Today we talked about how my physical symptoms affect my life. She came up with something that resonated with me. She said imagine you are hosting a party and your neighbor Joe shows up. He isn’t the most pleasant smelling or behaving person. He is the uninvited guest that you have to keep tabs on the whole party so he doesn’t ruin it. She likened what’s going on with my head and lower back pain to Joe. If I focus on these things like I would focus on Joe, the party will always be ruined for me. I have to find a way to not let these thorns to my life stop me from living my best life.

Are you struggling with some kind of physical and or mental condition that won’t go away? What will you do with your Joe?! As for me, I’m seriously considering whether Joe ever gets invited in the first place! 😂

Oh how I wish Jesus would heal me and all those I do and do not know! It must have been amazing to be healed by him:

Matthew 4:23New International Version

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Drawing I did of my birth mom Jeannie many years ago

11 Dec 2025 Low Energy

by saymber, posted in animals, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s evening as I write to you. Today was pretty uneventful but I did finally get my butt to the grocery store and Link and I got a big walk (1/2 mile) in today. He’s been willing to go so I take him. I am happy his legs aren’t bothering him right now.

Older picture I have of Link wearing his walking gear

The past couple days I have really had low energy. The thing going on with pressure in my head and ears has been real bad. My back hasn’t been kind either. When that’s all going on I don’t want to do even the most menial of tasks. I am like a water spigot that flows either full blast or barely a dribble! I have seen both an ear and head doctor and neither one found what is causing the stuff in my head and ears. We have prayed about it ever since it started but God hasn’t relieved me of it. This bible verse keeps coming into my mind about what I’m going through and what I need to do:

2 Corinthians 12:9New International Version

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Dec 2025 Pushing On

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, history, Home, human rights, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello there, how are you as you visit me here? Today was long and kind of lonely but we have pushed through it. To be honest I have been missing having someone to come home to me. Link has me to look forward to coming home. I think of him as home as he rises up on his back legs and frantically taps at the front door waiting for me to come in. I miss my ex everyday but I know that ship has sailed. We were communicating a little bit but if I don’t initiate the communication there is nothing from him. He has moved on and I always hope he’s happier now.

The rest of this post is me reflecting on where I’ve been and where I hope to go:

I miss having a husband but don’t like what you have to go through to get one these days. I tried Tinder and that was a cluster you know what. I ended up with someone who wasn’t good for me and wanted more from me than I could give at the time. I just wasn’t attracted to him and that made him nuts. My taste is what I had in my ex and I totally blew it with my manic episodes! He just got fed up with the person I became when I was in untreated mania.

I always said that if I couldn’t make it work with Kyle I wasn’t going to make it with anyone. He wasn’t a perfect husband but pretty darn wonderful and I blew it. Some say he shouldn’t have divorced me but they don’t understand the spiral that happens with mania. When we were first together he knew I had mental health issues but I was being treated and was on meds that kept the mania at bay. When mania happened the last couple of times I was really doing things that hurt and or upset him. We were breaking things. He got physical with me a couple of times out of extreme frustration and it was after that he went to stay with his parents. When he could see I wasn’t going to get the help I needed he decided a divorce was the only answer. I didn’t take that decision very well! I felt so lost and alone. My everyday was like living in a haunted house. Memories of Kyle were everywhere I went from the house to the neighborhood. I wasn’t plugged in to Jesus yet but thankfully had people who were to talk to. I thank God for my Idaho family who were there for me – praying for me. They are the reason I am where I am today! Jesus used each of them to help me escape the nightmare I was in.

It took me awhile, even after I was out of Texas, to fully recover from the nightmare I was living. My Aunt Ruth and Uncle John handled me with tender care the 6 months I lived with them. I didn’t want to shower with the door shut. I didn’t want to eat meals at the table. I didn’t want to watch television. I walked constantly to combat my anxiety. I had nightmares. I saw versions of Kyle everywhere I went. Everything was a trigger to my thinking of Kyle. We had been married 12 years and I was married 16 years in my first marriage. I had grief and remorse over my first marriage too! Kyle and I committed adultery and I really felt bad about that as did Kyle. I just unraveled after he left me and felt this pulling sensation in the back of my body all the time. It was like the enemy had a hold on me and didn’t want to let go.

It’s been over 5 years now that I’ve been here in Idaho. I am much better than I was. It’s been about 2 years since I decided to accept Jesus as my savior. I finally made the choice that God had been patiently waiting for me to make. With this choice and my saying yes some doors have opened. I have gotten more involved with my church and that has made me some friends. I even got baptized which I didn’t think I would do. Now if he would only heal me from what’s going on in my head and lower back I could be of more use – a better vessel for the Holy Spirit. These conditions have prevented me from volunteering as much as I could be.

The other thing missing is a companion to share the rest of my life with. I have kind of resigned myself to my ending up being alone the rest of my life but I don’t know Gods plans for me about this. If I do fall in love again I want him to share in my love of Jesus and of course Link must approve of whoever he ends up being!

Thank you for reading!

Dear Jesus I pray for this world as fallen as it is that more of the lost will find their way to you. I pray for the poor, sick, mentally and physically in decline. I pray for all leaders in positions of power and influence that your will be done through their words and deeds. I pray for an end to all animal cruelty. I pray for an end to all wars that there would be peace. I pray for all children especially those being abused and or neglected. I pray for the children suffering in war ravaged parts of the world. Thank you. Amen.

11 Nov 2025 Free Dinner

by saymber, posted in history, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. I’m just back from a walk and fantastic free steak dinner at Texas Roadhouse with my cousin and fellow veteran Tony. When we got there it was really busy but we had a short wait. Lots of Veterans! You could tell by their caps. A lot of Vietnam veterans. We were really pleased with the service and the meal. Our server was Devon and he was very attentive. For a free meal we got quite a lot and the quality was really good. We got iced tea, fresh baked rolls, a salad, 6 oz steak and fully loaded baked potatoes. It was the perfect amount of food. Tony and I got caught up and swapped stories about our time in the service. He was in the Navy. We are both getting older and had lots to talk about with our bodies aches and pains! We don’t get to see eachother very often so tonight was a real treat for both of us.

Two cousins and veterans on the town

A psalm giving praise for everything:

Psalm 150New International Version

Psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

14 Oct 2025 Restful Sleep

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, dreams, Health, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, technology, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How is your week so far? Good I hope and if it’s not I am praying for you. I am hoping you have a good support system surrounding you to help you get through whatever you’re facing. There have been several natural disasters – namely flooding in Alaska, Mexico and Arizona and places I haven’t seen reports on. Climate change is wreaking havoc everywhere it seems. I’m glad I live in Idaho as we rarely have extreme weather.

As I write to you this evening, my thoughts are turning to the upcoming battle I am going to have tonight with the darkness – sleep. I can feel tired and turn out the lights and it’s like an invitation for my mind to start racing. It’s not as bad as it was when I was working but it still happens. I have tried different things like trying not to be on my phone so much before bed but I like to have something to listen to which means still interacting with my phone. There is a creator on YouTube named Jason Stephenson I like to listen to but sometimes after his 3 hour meditation an loud ad at the end will wake me up! The same sometimes happens when I listen to Abide audios that have scripture and spiritual messages.

Not getting good sleep causes me to get into an unhealthy pattern. I will want to sleep during the day to make up for not sleeping through the night. It’s very rare that I have dream filled and restful sleep when I’m in such a pattern. I toss and turn a lot trying to get comfortable and poor Link stirs every time I do! Something I will do sometimes is I will ask Jesus for his help in getting to sleep and that helps sometimes. Another thing that I learned long ago when I was doing yoga is to talk to each part of my body. I tell each part to relax and I usually fall asleep before I get through my whole body.

Dear Jesus I pray for all those in the world who need your help in their lives. Whether it be natural disasters or tragic loss of loved ones for whatever reason – please use your body of believers to reach them. Let the lost souls of this world see your power through your body of believers. Jesus will not be mocked!

Galatians 6:7New International Version

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

4 Sept 2025 Unchanging and Enough Time

by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, Health, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Television, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. I hope this finds you well today. My thoughts this evening turn to mortality. To legacy. To being enough in the time I’ve had thus far. I couldn’t sleep the other night and found this from Jonathan Roumie. What I got out of it is it’s not how long we live but how deeply we love in the time we are given:

https://youtu.be/hStDYAxjjU0?si=lEchlnmBWJ1gK_3s – Jonathan Roumie and Jesus’s answer as to why he only lived to age 33

Jonathan has a lot of videos up like this on YouTube and I’m gradually getting through them.

Today was my Thursday prayer group and I was finally able to talk to Pastor Jason about a calling I’ve been having about an assisted living home we have here in town called The Cottages. Ever since we went there for Mothers Day in May I’ve been thinking about the place. The thing that has been holding me back is me – specifically my body. Things going on with my body make it hard for me to want to commit to anything. Explaining this to Jason and Lois today brought me to tears. I am willing to serve God but my body mobility and pain keep holding me back. Both Jason and Lois were supportive of me approaching the place to see if there is a need I can fill. Lois suggested keeping it small – just going once a week to say hello- learn the residents names. My plan is to call them on Monday and see what God has in mind for me. Please pray for me – for healing and heeding Gods call. Thank you! 🙏

Link will always look like a puppy to me – unchanging. The only thing that he’s showing of his age is the changing mobility in his back legs. He’s my baby boy!

17 Aug 2025 Who To Listen To

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. How are you? I’m just back from church and getting groceries. The sun is out after being cloudy- making it humid! Last night we got much needed rain.

I almost didn’t go to church this morning. If I had listened to the voice that spoke so clearly I would have stayed in bed! My back has been bothering me the past couple of days and I was considering staying home from church. Before bed last night I said to Jesus if you want me to go to church tomorrow ease my back pain. Sure enough I woke up and the sharp pain was gone but a voice told me loudly and sweetly to stay in bed. I couldn’t go back to sleep and forced myself to get up defying the voice. Pastor Jason’s messages today were ones I needed to hear and if I had listened to that voice I would have missed them! I would have missed seeing my church family. Pastor Jason was sick and yet he took the stage! “Your heart is a wicked steering wheel” he reminded us. “Your identity drives your behavior – your identity is not anything but your relationship with Jesus.” The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak – this is something I struggle with a lot as my body gets older. Sometimes we just have to push through and trust Jesus hears our pleas. Our inner voice can’t always be trusted and after I heard it I even asked who was speaking! I asked the Holy Spirit to help me and I think he did. Be careful who you listen to!

Reading for today:

2 Corinthians 4:7-18New International Version

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted,but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[a]Since we have that same spirit of[b] faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

20 July 2025 Answers in Affliction

by saymber, posted in Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion

Hello to you. It’s a bright and cool Sunday as I write to you – only 78 degrees! I am back from church – good messages I needed to hear today. We were in 2 Corinthians 1. What spoke to me was this part:

2 Corinthians 1:3-4New International Version

Praise to the God of All Comfort

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

For going on 4 years I have been experiencing a pooling in my ears and balance issues as a result. I haven’t been officially diagnosed but I believe I have Mal De Debarquement Syndrome. It just won’t go away. I have had a brain scan and have seen an ear doctor and neither of them found anything. I am convinced this was triggered after being tased by police during a manic episode I had about 3 years ago. I had pooling in my ears but not the weeble wobbly sensation in my head. They say some kinds of trauma can trigger it. Every day I pray for healing but God has remained silent for a cure. I pray “let me be your miracle” and nothing has changed. Lots of people pray for me and still God has not moved. At least I am able to walk! I just have to pay close attention and I need to keep trying to lose more weight.

I comfort myself with passages like we read today. For some reason I am staying like this. May be so I can comfort others who have this affliction? For some reason God is not answering the prayers the way I am hoping. May be he has something else in mind!

For more info I got this from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24796-mal-de-debarquement-syndrome-mdds

Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS)

Mal de débarquement syndrome (MdDS) is a rare vestibular disorder that makes you feel like you’re moving even when you’re not. MdDS is common after traveling, especially by boat. In most cases, MdDS symptoms go away within 24 hours. But they can linger for months or even years, in some instances.

23 Mar 2025 The Spirit And The Flesh

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Food, Health, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s Sunday again – boy do the weeks fly by. Signs of spring are all around. The trees are budding and the daffodils are blooming. I have been enjoying seeing the little birds flitting about and singing their love songs. I have been trying to walk a little further even though my back still bothers me. I try to take Link but sometimes he says no so I take him home and go by myself.

Today we were in Galatians 5 again and the emphasis was on the war that we are constantly fighting between the spirit and the flesh. My personal battle is with food. I enjoy eating and my obese body is evidence of it! I have been looking at some things and it’s possible my liver is not working like it should. I meant to look into a supplement today but forgot at the grocery store today.

Pastor Jayson always comes up with relatable messages in his sermons. For example sin is like our shadow – can’t get rid of it. Fruit trees bear fruit not for itself but for us. The same can be said about fruits of the spirit. Gifts of the spirit are for the common good and fruits of the spirit are for everyone to enjoy. A very timely message for this time of year!

Galatians 5:16-26New International Version

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.